Each October, we observe Respect Life Month, a time to renew our commitment to protect and cherish the gift of human life at every stage and in every circumstance.
Respect Life Month is a distinctive national witness to the fundamental human right to life and human dignity. Respect Life Month is an occasion to put the Gospel of Life into practice in every aspect of our lives. All of us are called to foster a more humane and just future. When we bring the Gospel of Life into the world, society is transformed for the better. Pope Leo XIV recently encouraged all to “continue to work for a world where power is tamed by conscience, and law is at the service of human dignity” and “to reject the dangerous and self-defeating mindset that says nothing will ever change.”
Together, we are called to create a culture of life through prayer, through accompaniment of mothers in need, through support of pregnancy resource centers, and through unwavering advocacy for laws that promote and safeguard the dignity of every human person as a child of God. Always, too, the Church must stand as a beacon of hope, guiding to the safe harbor of Jesus’ abiding mercy all men and women who are suffering from their participation in abortion. Confidential, non-judgmental after-abortion care is available through Project Rachel. For women and families facing unplanned pregnancies, compassionate assistance and practical support are available through the Gabriel Project Parish-Based Pregnancy Assistance program and Catholic Charities’ Mother of Mercy Clinic and Adoption Services.
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This year, we mark Respect Life Month in the shadow of a grave threat here in the Commonwealth of Virginia: a proposed amendment to enshrine abortion into our Commonwealth’s constitution. While the amendment is not yet on the ballot, the outcome of this fall’s elections will determine whether it advances or is halted.
If adopted, this amendment would embed in our state constitution a purported right to abortion through all nine months of pregnancy with no age limits. Although Virginia law is already very permissive, it currently contains some modest protections. Parental consent is required, partial-birth abortion is prohibited, individuals and healthcare facilities cannot be forced to participate in abortions, and taxpayer funding of abortion is limited.
The proposed amendment would likely make it impossible for the General Assembly to pass similar protective laws in the future. Moreover, each of the few, modest protections now in place would be severely jeopardized under this amendment.
Parents have the sacred right to be involved in the most serious decisions facing their daughters. No one should ever be forced to participate in or pay for an abortion. Religious liberty is foundational to our Commonwealth and our country. Most importantly, the lives of vulnerable women and their unborn children are sacred and must be welcomed and protected.
As Catholics, we cannot remain silent when these bedrock principles – and life itself – are at stake. Our faith compels us to stand firmly for life, in prayer and witness, and also in advocacy and action. We must educate ourselves and others about the devastating impact this amendment would have if it became law. We must speak with clarity and compassion in the public square, reminding our legislators and neighbors that true justice is measured by how we treat the most defenseless among us. Thankfully, we can equip ourselves for compassionate and informed advocacy by means of the Virginia Catholic Conference’s Election 2025 Resource Hub.
I urge all people of goodwill to unite in prayer, in witness, and in action. As I emphasized in a pre-election letter issued jointly with Bishop Knestout, “Protecting life is paramount,” we must address the tragedy of abortion “above all else” in our voting decisions. May we work tirelessly so that our communities may be places where every life is cherished and welcomed, always.
May we walk together with courage, spreading seeds of hope, remembering that we do not stand alone. Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, goes before us and strengthens us for this mission.
LifeNews Note: Bishop Burbidge is the fourth bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, Virginia.
